Weight for a jacquard heddle



June 8, 1965 B. KOCH 3,187,780

WEIGHT FOR A JAGQUARD HEDDLE Filed July 5, 1962 United States Patent3,187,789 WEIGHT FGR A SACQUARD HEDDLE Bernhard Koch, Zurich,Switzerland, assignor to Groh 3: Co. Aktiengesellschaft, Horgen,Switzerland Filed July 5, 1962, Ser. No. 207,597 Claims priority,application Switzerland, Aug. 3, 1961, 9,123/ 61 1 Claim. (Cl. 139-90)This invention concerns a weight for jacquard heddle, adapted to beconnected thereto or removed therefrom directly without theinterposition of a connecting ring or the use of other aids.

Jacquard weights are usually connected to the jacquard heddle by ringsknown as connection rings. This traditional connection between theheddle and weight allows the weight to pendulate on the heddle. Undercertain of todays working conditions where higher loom speeds, tightlyadjusted warps and sensitive warp yarns are used this loose connectionis not always sufiicient.

Attempts have been made to omit the connection rings, as they tend tointerfere with the adjacent heddles and cause operational faults, and toconnect the jacquard weight directly to the heddle.

The majority of these attempts provide a rigid connection between thejacquard heddle and weight. The rigid connection has however certaindisadvantages in that such heddles require an especially carefulhandling so that, whilst preparing the harness, drawing in the warp andtying broken warp threads, the relatively thin heddles are not bent outof shape and in consequence requiring additional room for building theshed and causing damage to adjacent warp threads by rubbing.

It is likewise not possible to use jacquard heddles rigidly connected tothe weights it due to temporary changes of the loom for dobby weaves,the heddles and weights hanging on the cords of the harness have to bebundled together, put in a case and drawn up to hang below the jacquardmachine. Far too many heddles would be snapped or bent so that theharness would be unusable.

Other known solutions have a direct articulated connection between theheddle and weight. These, as also do those having the rigid connectionhave the disadvantage that the connection can only be elfected with agreat expenditure of working time and by using a shell stretching on theheddle, that the connection cannot be undone without destroying theheddle or the weight, and that the weights, provided with only a hookshaped head, come undone during the preparation of the harness. Anothertype of connection consists in extending the lower end of the heddle toa tongue, pushing this tongue through a hole in the head of the weight,turning it back, drawing it through the end eyelet hammering it over andpressing it flat.

This method of securing however has the disadvantage that it can only beused with flat steel heddles. The special provision of end loops for theheddles increases the cost of their production and the bending of theflat steel band over too narrow a radius may cause a breakage at thebend.

According to the invention a weight adapted to be connected to the loopon the lower end of a jacquard heddle, has a head in which is provided alongitudinal slot or slit forming two shanks, said slit having anenlargement at least at one position therealong forming opposed spacedjaw members, and a projection or a peg carried by one of said shanks orjaw members in the region of said enlargement and adapted to bearresiliently against the opposed wall surface of the other shank, soarranged that the shanks or jaw members may be forced apart to allowsaid end loop to be introduced therebetween and released to trap the endloop with the peg or pin projection passing therethrough, said end loopbeing free to move between the shanks.

The invention will be apparent from the following description withreference to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of exampleonly, one embodiment thereof. '1

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a jacquard weight having a head constructed according tothe invention.

FIG. 2 shows the head of the jacquard weight held apart for securing onthe lower end loop of a heddle.

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows the head of the jacquard weight hung in the lower end loopof a heddle, and

FIG. 5 shows a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 4.

The jacquard weight 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of an elongatedmetal rod of circular cross-section.

The weight 1 has a specially constructed head 2, which is illustrated inFIGS. 1, 4 and 5 in the closed position and in FIGS. 2 and 3 in the openposition. The head 2 is chamfered on two opposite faces down to athickness of at least the inner diameter of the lower end loop 10 of ajacquard heddle 9 and is provided with a longitudinal slit orlongitudinally extending slot 3, forming two yielding longitudinalopposed spaced jaw members or shanks 4 and 5.

The longitudinally extending slot or slit 3 is enlarged at 7 to thethickness of the double wire or fiat steel band of which the lower endloop 10 is made to form opposed internal walls. As can be seen the slitor slot 3 extends longitudinally considerably beyond the enlargement 7so that the latter lies substantially in the longitudinal centre of theslit or slot 3. The shank 4 has a transverse pin or peg 6 in the area ofenlargement 7, having a size which is nearly the sameas the innerdiameter of the lower end loop 10 of the jacquard heddle h. Theprojection, pin or peg 6 protrudes transversely of said enlarged portionfrom one of said opposed internal walls a distance at least as far asthe thickness of the double Wire or steel band of which the lower endloop 10 is made and into engagement with the other opposed wall.

Due to the inherent springness of the shanks 4 and 5 which is achievedby the length of the longitudinally eX-- tending slot or slit 3 there isnormally no clearance between peg 6 and shank 5. To prevent the end loop10 of jacquard heddle 9 when secured by the head 2, from pivotinglaterally over the end of shank 4 or shank 5 on severe oscillatingmovement in the loom or during transport and jamming in such a position,the shanks 4 and 5 are extended outwardly beyond the transverselyextending pin or peg 6 to provide extensions 4a and 5a.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show how the two shanks 4 and 5 can be pried apart byinserting a spike 8 into the slit 3. In this way a passage is openedbetween the peg 6 and the internal wall of the shank 5 which allows thelower end loop It} of the heddle 9, to be introduced therein. As soon asthe transversely extending pin or peg 6 enters the end loop 10, thespike 8 is withdrawn whereupon the shanks 4 and 5 spring together, andthe longitudinally ex tending pin or peg 6 presses against and engagesthe opposed internal wall of the shank 5 and secures the loop 10 to thehead 2. FIGS. 4 and 5 show that the weight 1 when secured to the lowerloop 10 of heddle 9 can freely pendulate on the end loop 10 of theheddle 9 in one di rection, but not in the other. The desired lateralplay of the end loop 10 can (FIG. 4) be influenced by size of thetransversely extending pin or peg 6 and clearance between the extensions4a and 5a of shanks 4 and 5 respectively.

As the end loop 10 of the heddle 9 encircles the transversely extendingpin or peg 6 with only small freedom for vertical movement relativethereto wear of the loop by the constant raising and lowering thereofduring weaving is prevented to a very appreciable extent.

Since the cross-section of the head 2 does notexceed that of the weight1 a relatively smooth operation of the jacquard cords or harness isensured.

The weight 1 as illustrated combines all the advantages of the knownweights Without their disadvantage. The weight 1 may be connecteddirectly to the heddle with out the interposition of connecting rings orthe aid of shells or rivets, and may be secured to any normal tradejacquard heddles, jacquard heddles and so on having normal lower endloops. 3

The construction of the head 2 allows an articulate pendulateconnection, and has no lateral openings of any description which couldentangle with adjacent heddles or weights.

Neither heddle 9 nor the weight 1 have to be soldered, welded, heated,pressed or otherwise worked to bring about their connection such beingpossible rapidly with the aid of a spike 8, and even so the connectioncannot be loosened by heavy oscillation during weaving.

The weight 1 can be removed from the heddle9 at any time by prying apartthe two shanks 4-and 5 with a spike 8 and refitted as often as desiredsince neither the heddle 9'nor the weight 1 are deformed during thefitting or removing operations.

The weight 1 according to the invention may continue to be used evenwhen the heddles become Worn out or damaged, and it is also possible tochange the weights on existing heddles if it should prove that these aretoo light or too heavy, too long or too short, in order to achieve thebest operating conditions on the loom.

While I have herein described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings what may be considered typical and particularly usefulembodiment of my said invention, I wish it to be understood that I donot limit myself to the particular details and dimensions described andillustrated; for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled inthe art.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A weight adapted to be detachably connected to the loop on the lower endof a jacquard heddle, comprising an elongated rod having a flattenedhead portion at one end thereof, said flattened head portion beingslotted inwardly from the end thereof to provide a pair of yieldingshank portions, the inner walls of said longitudinally extending slotbeing cut away inwardly from the end of said head a distancesubstantially equal to one half the length of said longitudinallyextending slot to form opposed jaw members arranged in spaced apartrelation and to provide a space for accommodating the loop on saidheddle, and a transversely extending pin projection: on one of said jawmembers adapted to extend transversely of said cutaway portion throughsaid loop and engage the opposite wall of said other jaw member todetachably connect said weight with said heddle, said space being formedto accommodate a pointed instrument to permit said jaws to be.yieldingly separatedwhen said loop .is inserted and removed from saidprojection.

References Cited by the Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 461,638 7 10/91 Marco 139-90 1,448,811 3/23Morrison 24-255 2,022,623 11/35 Kaufmann 139-90 2,481,346 9/49 Rigby43-44.95 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 1,218,383 12/59 France. 1,236,257 6/60France.

195,858 4/23 Great Britain. 916,340 1/ 63 Great Britain.

DONALD W.-PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner.

